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NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD

Common Paradise Kingfisher

Tanysiptera galatea G. R. Gray, 1859

Source-backed taxonomic record

Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.

Common Paradise-Kingfisher

Common Paradise-Kingfisher

JJ Harrison · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image source

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Open encyclopedia reference

The common paradise kingfisher (Tanysiptera galatea), also known as the Galatea paradise kingfisher and the racquet-tailed kingfisher, is a species of bird in the family Alcedinidae. It is found in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests of the Maluku Islands and New Guinea. Like all paradise kingfishers, it has a red bill and colourful plumage. The species is common and the IUCN has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Wikipedia contributors, Common paradise kingfisher; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T11:27:58.128998+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name
Tanysiptera galatea G. R. Gray, 1859
Name authority
G. R. Gray, 1859
Common name
Common Paradise Kingfisher
Rank
species
Accepted status
accepted
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Coraciiformes
Family
Alcedinidae
Genus
Tanysiptera
Extinction status
Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

  1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
  2. kingdomAnimalia
  3. phylumChordata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. infraphylumGnathostomata
  6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
  7. megaclassTetrapoda
  8. classAves
  9. orderCoraciiformes
  10. familyAlcedinidae
  11. subfamilyHalcyoninae
  12. genusTanysiptera Vigors, 1825
  13. speciesTanysiptera galatea G. R. Gray, 1859

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Tanysiptera. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

SpeciesClassificationSource status
Brown-headed Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera danae Sharpe, 1880AlcedinidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Little Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera hydrocharis G. R. Gray, 1858AlcedinidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Biak Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera riedelii J. Verreaux, 1866AlcedinidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Black-capped Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera nigriceps P. L. Sclater, 1877AlcedinidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Cobalt Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera carolinae Schlegel, 1871AlcedinidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Fairy Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera nympha G. R. Gray, 1840AlcedinidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant
Buff-breasted Paradise KingfisherTanysiptera sylvia Gould, 1850AlcedinidaeChordataAccepted speciesRecorded extant

Browse 77 records assigned to Alcedinidae.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Australia

Southern Asia

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

  1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554627 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:54QDB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.